Bob McDonnell Files U.S. Supreme Court Opening Brief TODAY!

February 29, 2016 7:43 pm

Bob McDonnell Files U.S. Supreme Court Opening Brief TODAY!

This afternoon, counsel for Governor McDonnell filed their opening brief with the Supreme Court of the United States, focused on the central question of what legally constitutes an “official action” by an elected official under the federal corruption laws.

The brief takes on the five supposedly “official acts” at the heart of the government’s case, acts that were all limited to the most routine political activities: arranging meetings, asking questions, and attending events.

There is no dispute that Governor McDonnell never exercised any governmental power on behalf of his benefactor, promised to do so, or pressured others to. Yet, Governor McDonnell’s case marks the first time in our history that a public official has been convicted of corruption despite never agreeing to put a thumb on the scales of any government decision. Officials routinely arrange meetings for donors, take their calls, politely listen to their ideas, and refer them to aides.

In criminalizing those everyday acts, the Government has put every federal, state, and local official nationwide in its prosecutorial crosshairs. That dramatic expansion of multiple major federal crimes repudiates bedrock principles of constitutional law, centuries of legal history, this Court’s decisions, the analogous bribery statute for federal officials, and basic common sense.

As we prepare to make our argument in front of the nation’s highest court, we need your help to raise our goal of $1 million, which will allow us to make the very best presentation possible. The federal government has unlimited taxpayer resources to prosecute Gov. McDonnell and his wife, but all the McDonnell family has are their own resources and the contributions of friends like you.

Please join us and make a difference by clicking on the donate button now. We need your help now, as more filings are due in the coming weeks and the Supreme Court will likely rule by June. Please help us win this fight today!